Journals

Introduction Design research is published in a very wide variety of journals. For example, researchers working in medical equipment might publish in journals covering health, medical technology, nursing, ergonomics, caring, ageing etc. depending on the subject specialism and the intended audience. Researchers working in say design management might find a small number of focused journals to be more relevant both in subject matter and the audience likely to read their work.

It is therefore futile to try to establish a list of ‘design’ journals as the variety of design research is necessarily so broad. It is equally futile to attempt to rank these is some order of importance or quality.

This list is therefore indicative of the kinds of journals that design researchers have published in, and is therefore assuredly incomplete.

Journals may be general in the work that they accept, or they may be narrowly focused.

The journals listed here are for the most part peer reviewed, but quality of peer review varies from journal to journal. Before placing your work with a particular journal, beware of the increasing number of predatory journals that offer little or no peer review in return for payment, and have poor quality standards. It is well worth checking that the journal you intend to submit to is not on Beall’s list of predatory publishers.

Both author and reader access to journals varies considerably. Often this revolves around payment by readers for access to published papers. Briefly, two prominent forms of access are:

Gold: author’s work is immediately accessible to readers free of charge, usually published in an open access journal, often online.

Green: author publishes and immediately self-archive in a repository where it can be accessed free of charge.

There are several versions of both these models, including author payments, embargo periods on self-archiving, and various fee options, and that is reflected in this list. For more information on open access.

Design Studies is associated with the Design Research Society, and has a focus on design process.| pdf | weblink | review |

Ergonomics in Design: The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications. This journal has perhaps more focus on design than many strictly ergonomics journals.
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Journal of Design History has a focus on the development of design history including crafts and applied arts, and the broader field of visual and material culture. It is associated with the Design History Society.
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International Journal of Art & Design Education focuses on research in art and design education at all levels. It is associated with the National Society for Education in Art and Design.
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International Journal of Design is devoted to publishing research papers in all fields of design.
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International Journal of Technology and Design Education has a focus on research and scholarly writing about any aspect of technology and design education.
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International Journal for Researcher Development is rooted in research education, and covers many aspects of doctoral education and development of early career researchers.
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She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation is trans-disciplinary with a focus on economics and innovation, design process and design thinking.
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